


Circle

by SummerStormFlower



Category: Disney Duck Universe, DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Babies, Cousins, Family Feels, Fluff, Gen, driving in the middle of the night, one swear word only one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-18
Updated: 2020-03-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:48:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23194219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SummerStormFlower/pseuds/SummerStormFlower
Summary: Gladstone helps Donald out with the baby triplets when he hits a dry spell.
Relationships: Donald Duck & Gladstone Gander, Louie Duck & Gladstone Gander
Comments: 22
Kudos: 209





	Circle

**Author's Note:**

> My brain is tired and this is what popped up in the tiny world of my imagination. Hope you like.

It’s 3:07 when Gladstone gets a call. He sits up, groggy, rubbing his eyes. The ringing persists annoyingly and for a moment Gladstone just wants to turn his phone off. But then he sees the name of the caller.

_Donnie ___

__

__Gladstone picks up immediately, wide awake now. “Don, what’s wrong?’ he asks right away._ _

__For awhile, there’s nothing but the sound of Donald breathing and swallowing. Gladstone thinks he might be crying._ _

__He waits for Donald to say something. He gives him all the time he needs and hopes Donald won’t change his mind and hang up. Donald rarely asked for help, hated it. Especially hated asking for Gladstone’s help, even though Gladstone would give him all of him in a heartbeat._ _

__He might’ve been lazy, selfish, and he knew he wasn’t exactly Don’s favourite person in the world, but he cared about him. He’d never said it to Donald’s face, but he hoped Donald knew that. He hoped Donald knew he would worry if he didn’t tell him what was wrong._ _

__Eventually, Donald responds, “I can’t do this on my own.”_ _

__Gladstone knows what he means. It’s hardly been a month since the triplets hatched. All boys, just like they thought. What were their names again? Gladstone remembered one for sure. Louie._ _

__“What happened?” he asks, because Don wouldn’t call him if something hadn’t happened. Not that they didn’t talk casually, but that was rare. They had this silent agreement to only call if something was devastatingly wrong._ _

__“Lost my job,” Donald tells him, “My rent’s pilling up. At this rate, I’m gonna lose my apartment.”_ _

__Gladstone doesn’t say anything. No matter what he says, Don will only take it as pity and Gladstone doesn’t want him to hang up. He wants to be there for his cousin, who’s insufferable at the worst of times, but they grew up like brothers, so it didn’t matter._ _

__“I can’t afford a babysitter,” Donald goes on, voice even rougher than usual and Gladstone has to strain his ears to understand him. “Everything’s falling apart.” Donald’s voice cracks._ _

__Gladstone’s heart breaks for him. He doesn’t live near Duckburg and it’s 3 in the morning, but none of that stops him from saying,_ _

__“I’ll be right there.”_ _

__

__Gladstone isn’t helpful. He knows that. He’s mostly a jerk. He knows that too. He beats himself up for it, probably a little more, _ _okay _ _, a lot more than what’s considered healthy. It just makes him an even bigger jerk for some reason. He beats himself up for that too.___ _ __

____He can’t help Don. He’s sure of that. But maybe his luck can. Even just a little. It’s better than nothing._ _ _ _

____He brings nothing but a clean pair of clothes and a hairbrush. He doesn’t need much, not with his luck, supplying him with whatever he needed whenever he needed it. He doesn’t bring any money. Don would only call it charity and reject it. The only thing Don will (maybe) accept is his genuine desire to help. Gladstone can offer to babysit while Donald looks for a job. Maybe Gladstone can even find one for him. His luck’s bound to make something good happen that he can pass onto to his cousin and the boys._ _ _ _

____When he gets to Donald’s apartment, the door’s already open. For him, probably, since Donald knew he was coming. He goes in and locks it behind him, then finds Don asleep on the sofa. The boys’ crib is beside him._ _ _ _

____One of them is awake._ _ _ _

____Quietly, Gladstone passes his cousin’s sleeping form and kneels in front of the crib. The tiny duckling turns to stare at him, blinking at him curiously but not afraid._ _ _ _

____He’s a cute thing, so Gladstone smiles. “Hey there,” he whispers softly, “Nice to see someone stayed up to wait for me.”_ _ _ _

____Donald sneezes in his sleeps, groans, and wriggles onto his other side._ _ _ _

____Then the kid makes a happy sound and reaches for Gladstone._ _ _ _

____Gladstone doesn’t have much experience with babies. The only thing he has in his memory banks, is his aunt helping him hold a newborn Fethry when he was small._ _ _ _

____Carefully, Gladstone takes the duckling out of his crib and goes to sit on the unoccupied part of the sofa by Donald’s feet. He fixes the green blanket around the duckling, tucking it around him nice and comfy. In return, the little duckling smiles up at him, delighted._ _ _ _

____It does something to Gladstone’s heart._ _ _ _

____Luckily, the other two babies don’t wake up or start crying in the middle of the night, Don sleeps soundly, and the baby in Gladstone’s arms falls asleep after some cuddling and gentle singing._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____At breakfast, Gladstone helps Donald with the triplets and Donald feels gratitude swell up in his chest. A feeling he doesn’t usually associate with his annoying lucky cousin, but it’s there._ _ _ _

____And so is Gladstone._ _ _ _

____Donald watches, fondly, as Dewey shoves his little hands in Gladstone’s face for the thousandth time and startles him for the thousandth time, laughing at Gladstone’s wide eyes. Huey keeps grabbing his ear, arm, chin, mouth, and anything else he can grab hold of. And Louie clings to him, sucking on his thumb contently, only grabbing at Gladstone’s shirt when he leans too close to his brothers and too far away from him._ _ _ _

____For some reason, Donald thinks of the first week when Fethry took a short break from school to help out._ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“We’re like a circle,” he’d said, just randomly out of nowhere._ _ _ _

____Donald had frowned, confused, at him. “What are you talking about?”_ _ _ _

____“You know!” Fethry exclaimed, while holding Huey’s milk bottle for him, “You, me and Gladdie! I’m Gladstone’s favourite cousin, you’re my favourite, and Gladstone’s yours!”_ _ _ _

____Donald blinked. “That’s a triangle.”_ _ _ _

____Fethry just shrugged._ _ _ _

____“And Gladstone is NOT my favourite cousin,” he’d said, very strongly._ _ _ _

____Fethry grinned at him. “Yes, he is.”_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____Donald had denied it again at the time, and again when Fethry started laughing at him. But now, looking at Gladstone letting his kids crawl all over him, overwhelmed, but smiling nonetheless._ _ _ _

____Gladstone, usually no more than a selfish, egotistical jackass, who drove all the way down to help at 3 in the morning._ _ _ _

____Gladstone, who clearly had no idea what he was doing, but was making the kids laugh._ _ _ _

____Well..._ _ _ _

____Maybe he was Donald’s favourite cousin. (Not that he'd ever admit it)._ _ _ _


End file.
